Cleese to make TV return testing gadgets

Monty Python star John Cleese is to return to British TV with a new show that tests gadgets from around the world.

Batteries Not Included will see Cleese back on television following a seven-year break in which he has concentrated on his movie career.

The Fawlty Towers star will test devices such as chin gyms, baby dusters and giant slippers. The role has been likened to the James Bond character Q which he portrayed in Die Another Day.

Cleese, 69, will be joined on the show by other celebrities including Alex Zane, Danny Wallace, Dom Joly, and Richard Herring. The gadget show will be screened on digital channel Dave.

A Dave source told The Sun: "We're over the moon as John Cleese is such a legend. We’ve heard lots of channels have tried to get him to front things but he always says no.

"Batteries Not Included will see John take the essence of his 007 character and combine it with some bizarre gadgets."

The last series Cleese made in the UK was the 2001 BBC science show The Human Face.